BRUNSWICK, ME – In response to the release of the President’s budget blueprint for Fiscal Year 2018, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement today: “I recognize and agree with the need to reduce federal spending as part of a balanced effort to tackle the debt and deficit, but I have a hard time seeing how eliminating heating assistance, cutting medical research, and ending economic development funding do little more than harm people, families, and... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) announced today that they have introduced the Future Logging Careers Act, legislation that would level the playing field for the logging trade with other agricultural fields by allowing family members to learn about and get experience in the trade of logging from an earlier age so that they may carry on the family business. “Logging is more than a job in Maine. It’s an age-old tradition that’s... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Angus King (I-ME), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) led a bipartisan group of 10 Senators in writing to the Acting Secretary of the Navy, requesting that he delegate down the chain of command the authority to grant increased reimbursement rates for public shipyard workers’ long-term temporary duty (TDY) assignments. Currently, the authority to grant these increased reimbursements rests with an official on the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), co-chairs of the Senate Broadband Caucus, have introduced bipartisan legislation to measure the economic impact of broadband on the U.S. economy. While the federal government measures the economic impact of many industries, it does not produce current, reliable statistics on the economic impact of broadband on the U.S. economy. Accurate, reliable data on the economic impact of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In conjunction with Sunshine Week, a national initiative meant to emphasize the importance of an open government, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today reintroduced legislation to increase transparency in campaign contributions and help inform voters about who is funding the candidates on their ballot. The Real Time Transparency Act would require that all political contributions of $1,000 or more be filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) within 48... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following a bipartisan push from U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today that it plans to perform emergency maintenance dredging in the lower Kennebec River between Phippsburg and Bath, Maine. The Maine Delegation sent a letter last November calling on the Corps to dredge the river in response to concerns that the channel was below the authorized navigation... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today sent a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Rick Perry formally inviting him to visit the University of Maine. The visit would allow Secretary Perry to survey the ongoing work the University is doing in conjunction with DOE and key partners in the public and private sectors. Secretary Perry had previously indicated his willingness to visit UMaine to Senator King during his confirmation hearing before the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) score of the proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement: “We knew all along this was a bad bill. The CBO’s score confirms it. Fourteen million people will lose their health insurance next year under this proposal – and 24 million will lose it by 2026. Look... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As more Americans are choosing to grow older in their own homes, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) today introduced legislation that will help make independent living less burdensome. The Senior Home Modification Assistance Initiative Act would establish a process to better coordinate the many existing federal home modification programs and provide more consumer-friendly information on how those programs can benefit... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today met with Lily Tedford of South Portland and Katie Waeldner of Yarmouth, Maine’s 2017 delegates to the 55th Annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP). Lily and Katie are among 102 other students from across the country who were selected to spend a week in Washington, D.C. to get an on-the-ground experience of the federal government and political process. “Lily and Katie are outstanding students who have... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) took to the Senate floor today to speak out against the recently released proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which he said will hurt Maine seniors, give tax breaks to the wealthy at the expense of middle class Mainers, and end up costing people across the state more money while delivering less. In his remarks, Senator King also called on the U.S. House of Representatives to put a halt to the repeal effort and, instead,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King have joined with Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) to reintroduce the Timber Innovation Act, bipartisan and bicameral legislation that aims to find new and innovative uses for wood as a building material. The legislation would accelerate the research and development of wood for use in construction projects, focusing on the construction of buildings over 85 feet in height. “Maine is a goldmine of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today joined a bipartisan letter led by Senators Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla) urging the Trump Administration to take action in response to the recent anonymous bomb threats made against Jewish Community Centers (JCC’s), Jewish Day Schools, and Synagogues – including some in Maine. The letter was signed by every member of the United States Senate. The... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) joined a bipartisan group of 30 other senators in sending a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly, outlining concerns that the H-2B visa statutory cap will soon be reached. The Senators requested that the Department of Homeland Security conduct an audit to determine the number of unused visas during the first half of the fiscal year and also requested that any unused visas be provided to eligible... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the release of a proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) issued the following statement: “At first glance, I’m very discouraged by this proposal. Although the bill maintains some important protections – ones that were first implemented by the Affordable Care Act, I might add – it would more than likely force Maine seniors and low-income folks to pay higher costs and ultimately would result in... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, released the following statement in response to President Trump’s new travel ban: “President Trump’s original travel ban was a serious policy mistake and legally questionable – and that he needed to issue a new, revised ban only underscores that fact. “A deliberate strategy of ISIS and other extremist groups is to create a divide between... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced today that he has joined Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and six of their colleagues in sending a letter to the Chairman and CEO of Marathon Pharmaceuticals, Jeffrey S. Aronin, demanding answers regarding the initial proposed pricing scheme for Marathon Pharmaceuticals’ recently approved steroid for use in patients with Duchenne... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement in response to reports concerning Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ meetings with the Russian Ambassador: “These are serious and troubling accusations, and they are ones that Attorney General Sessions must address immediately and fully – both to Congress and to the American people. I believe the circumstances demand that he come before the Senate Judiciary Committee again to clarify his... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today spoke on the Senate floor in opposition to a resolution currently under consideration by the Senate that would jeopardize access to federal funding for 44 health care centers serving more than 20,000 people across Maine. “I’ve sat in this body for four years and heard people talking about how consumers and patients should be able to choose their physicians. They should be able to choose their health care options. This... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) met with Judge Neil Gorsuch, President Trump’s nominee for Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. After the meeting, Senator King issued the following statement and also announced that he will hold a listening session, sponsored by the University of Maine School of Law, to better understand what Maine people want to know about Judge Gorsuch and his judicial record as the confirmation process moves forward. The... Continue Reading »
